Nov 16, 2006

Buko Tarts


Out in Malabon on official business sometime last month, we were served great tasting Buko Tarts (which, we found out later, came all the way from Tagaytay). I liked it because it was not too sweet, the crust was buttery and flaky and the filling was just in the right level of creaminess. It was so good I was tempted to eat a whole serving (I meant to share the calories with my husband), savoring and complementing (or is 'compounding' the better word?) the sinfulness by gulping ice-cold Coke. Gosh. I haven't done that for ages! (Bless me father for I have sinned...)

Well, you know what happens when I get impressed with food -- I try making it myself in my kitchen. I wasted no time sending out for fresh buko, and made crust. The 'experiment' lasted less than an hour, and produced 18 buko tarts. The verdict? Jam ate three right away, despite the filling being piping hot!

Here's the recipe:

BUKO TARTS

What's In It?

Tarts
2 cups all purpose flour
1 t. salt
1/2 c butter
3 to 4 T cold water

Filling
2 cups buko meat, cut into shreds
3/4 c sugar
1/2 c evaporated milk
1/2 c cornstarch dispersed in
1/2 c buko water
a few drops of Buko Pandan flavoring (optional)

Tools/Wares Needed:
Medium sized Aluminum Puto/Tart Molds (P56.75 per 6 pieces at ValuePoint)


Kitchen Conjugations:


Get the butter out of the ref to soften it a bit. Set aside and start making the filling: In a medium sized pot or deep pan, combine the filling ingredients and bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer and stir until the mixture thickens. (The best is a gluey consistency that you can still spoon. Be careful not to overcook or else the mixture will get into a paste consistency.) Remove from fire and set aside.



Work with the tarts: Combine the salt and flour in a mixing bowl. Cut the butter into cubes with a knife, then cut it into the flour-salt mixture using a pastry cutter or the tines of a fork. (The flour will combine with the butter and you're supposed to end up with a crumbly mixture.) Moisten the dough with the cold water, mix and gather into a ball. Roll out and flatten the dough with a rolling pin (or a floured wine/water bottle) to about 1/8" thick.

Cut out round pieces of the dough using egg rings (if you have), jars or round plastic wares whose mouths are bigger than the size of your tart molds. Cut the remaining dough into even-sized strips (to be used as topping later).

Lightly dust the tart molds with flour, then line each with the round dough cut-outs. Press the dough to the bottom and sides of each mold. Fill each with Buko filling then top with the dough strips, making lattices.

Bake for 5-7 minutes or until the tops turn golden brown at 200C in a Turbo Broiler. (Note: baking time is longer in a conventional oven; shorter in an oven toaster.)

Let cool before taking out of the individual molds.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

hi ms.anne, i'am a follower of your foodblog. i would just like to ask how do you find the cakes you bake using the turbo broiler compared to the conventional oven? may difference po ba? if following a recipe, may dapat pa po ba akong i-modify? super thanks po...

anneski:) said...

Hi there! Actually there is no difference in my experience, you still follow the recipe to the letter. (Baking needs to be precise, unlike in cooking where you can make approximations.) The only difference is the PREHEATING time, because the turbo broiler heats faster than a conventional oven. Besides that, it's the same, you use the same procedure and baking temperature.

Hope this helps! :)

Anonymous said...

thank you po ms.anne... i'll try using the turbo this weekend...God bless and more power!

Anonymous said...

the buko tarts from AMIRA's or ROWENA's in Tagaytay are the best.. my faves! :D

anneski:) said...

To Magelo: I got your comment but didn't publish it because everyone would see your mobile number and you might not like the intrusion in privacy.

As much as I would want to sell you my buko tarts, alas, I don't have time to bake as of the moment. :( The recipe is right here however, free to use and experiment on.

(To those recopying the recipe in their sites, I would appreciate some credit or link back, thanks.)

If, like me, you don't have the time (or the energy) to make the tarts yourself, the ones sold at Rowena's in Tagaytay is the closest in taste to mine, sans the lattice topping nga lang.

AizahPacanaDelez said...

Hi, how would you make crumbs instead of a lattice top? thanks!

anneski:) said...

Hi Aizah, I'm so sorry for the late reply. I had not accessed this blog for ages...have been quite busy.

What you refer to as 'crumbs' is actually streusel topping. You can get the recipe for that here: http://spoonful.com/recipes/streusel-coffee-cake

Microscozoites said...

How many minutes if i gonna use oven

Microscozoites said...

How many minutes if i gonna use conventional oven.